Match.



Patenced December 8, 1903.

PATENI OEFICE.

HUGH GAIR, or OAKPARK, ILLINOIS.

MATO H.

SPECIFICATIO1\ formng part of Letters Patent N o. 746,321, datedDecember 8, 1903.

Application filed February 18,1903. Serial No. 143.922. (No model) T0all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HUGH GAIR, a resident of Oakpark, in thecounty ofCook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and usefuiImprovements in Matches, of which the following is a specification. Thisinvention relates to improvements in matches, and pertains moreparticularly toferred towhich has a detachable portion which is soformed that the detach ment thereof does not shorten or substanti2tllydestroy the couvnience andburning capacity of the match; to provide aconstruction which may be economically and readily nianufactured bymachinery, and in general to provide a simple and improved device of thecharacter referred to.

To the above ends the inven tion consists in the matters hereinafterdescribed, and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims, andWill be readily understood from the following description by referenceto the accompanying drawings,f0rminga part thereof, and in which Figure1 is a side elevation of a complete match e'mbodying my invention. Fig.2 is a plan view of the butt-end portion of a match enlarged Fig. 3is across-sectional view .taken approximately on line 3 3 of Fig. 2.

Figs. 4, 5, and 6 are views corresponding, re-

spectively, to Figs. 1, 2, and 3 of'a modified construction.

Referring to the drawings, 1 designates as a whole the body ormatch-splint, which in the most approved form is rectangular incrosssection and may be of the ordinary dimensions or desirably slightlylarger than those most commonly used at present.

2 designates the ignition-head, which ma be applied in-any of thewell-known ways, and in the most approved form'of the invention consistsof a composition which will ignite only when applied to a specialfriction composition.

3 designates a detachable section of the match-body, and 4a coatingofabrasive material or chemical composition adapted to igmite the matchwhen the head of the latteris rubbed thereon. In the preferredembodiment (shown in Fgs. 1 to 3 inclusive) the detachable section 3 isa wedge-shaped piece which is made readily detachable by formi ng voblique longitudinallyextending cuts 5 in the laterally-opposite sidesof the match-body, near one end thereof, theends of the cuts 5 at thewider end of the detachable Section being preferably arranged toterminate a short distance from the end of the match-body, as

ndicated at 6. These cuts are arranged in the same plane and extend intothe body of the match a distance slightly less than onehalf the Width ofthe match, so as to leave an intervening uncut web portion 7 (see Fig.3) in addition to the uncut butt-end portion 8, thereby leaving thedetachable portion 3 reliably unitedwith the match-body, but capable ofbeing detached therefrom readily by twisting the detachable portionrelatively to the main body of the match. The coating 4 desirably coversthe principal part of the broader exposed side of the detachable section, as shown clearly in the drawings.

In use the user first detaches the section and then applies it to thehead of the match with a combined drawing a'nd rubbing motion, and soignites the match, or the section may be detached and the match-bodyreversed and the head applied thereto and rubbed upon the detachedsection in the usual manner.

It will be noted that the removal of the detached section doesnotshorten the match,

but, on the contrary, leaves it of its full origi nal length, althoughtapering at its butt-end. The detached section is, moreover,ofsuflicient length and breadth to enable it to be.convenroo and maytherefore be made by a knife which is arranged to cut inwardly from thetop surface of the splint to a depth sufficient to intersect the planoof the longitudinal cuts 9. In this instance said longitudinal cuts 9are shown as extendng entirely to the butt-end of the splint, and inorder to prevent the detachable section from being broken off too easilythe butt-ends of the splint are provided with a coating 10, of glue oranalogous reinforcing material.

Obviously either of these forms may be embodied in the ordinaryfriction-matchesi. e., those provided with an ignition compound whichwill ignite when applied to any suitable friction-surface; but it isequally obvious that the utility of the invention is greatest whenembodied in a safety-match. It Will be further obvious that the preciseform of the detachable section is not essential so long as it be suchthat when detached it does not substantially shorten the match body andat the same time is of sufficient length to be conveniently handled andapplied to the match-head. I do not, therefore, limit myself to theprecise details of construction shown.

I claim as my invention 1. A match provided with a detachable sec tionforming a part of the original splint and separable therefrom alonglongitudinal division-cuts whereby the original length of the splintremains substantially unimpaired after the section has been detached,said sections being provided respectively with an gniting and a frictionsubstance at points normally remote from each other.

2. A match-body cut or scored to separate longitudinally from thebutt-end to a point intermediate its length, the longer section beingprovided at one end with an ignitible head, and the other section With acoating of friction material.

3. A match-body of rectangular form in cross-section provided at itsbutt-end With cuts arranged in the same plane and extending obliquelyfrom points near the butt-end and near one side of the match-body topoints intermediate the length of the splint and at the opposite side ofthe match-body, the combined depth of said cuts being less than thethickness of the match-body.

HUGH GAIR.

Witnesses:

ALBERT H. GRAVES, FREDERICK C. GOODWIN.

